FRIDAY • July 30, 2021 • Serving Central Oregon since 1903 • $1.50
EAST LAKE
Camping, kayaking and
mountain biking in Explore, B1
BEND | HOUSING
Deschutes County Fair & Rodeo
As crisis
worsens,
focus is
on middle
housing
PARROTS IMPRESS
FAIRGOERS
BY BRENNA VISSER
The Bulletin
As Bend tries to tackle its housing crisis, one
kind of housing has taken center stage: middle
housing.
Middle housing is for people who make
more than 80% of Bend’s area median income,
which is $64,300 for a family of four, but who
also do not make enough to afford a large por-
tion of the homes on the market.
For perspective, someone making 150% of
Bend’s area median income — which is roughly
$120,000 — can afford a home priced at
$566,980, according to a presentation from the
city. The median home price is $650,000.
Without being able to qualify for subsidized
housing, a large segment of the population who
work in jobs like nursing, teaching and policing
are — as Bend’s Affordable Housing Manager
Lynne McConnell told the city planning com-
mission Monday — “left to the wolves.”
“This is a problem that indicates a broken
housing system,” McConnell said.
See Housing / A4
Dean Guernsey/ Bulletin photos
Chris Biro, executive director of Bird Recovery International, kisses Thor, a scarlet Macaw, before presenting The Pirate’s Parrot Show at the De-
schutes County Fair in Redmond.
State to require
masks indoors
for K-12 students
BY DYLAN JEFFERIES
The Bulletin
R
EDMOND — Familiar animals
were present at The Deschutes
County Fair & Rodeo this
BY NICOLE BALES AND BRIAN RATHBONE
The Bulletin
Thursday: chickens, rabbits, goats, sheep, pigs,
Gov. Kate Brown on Thursday moved to re-
quire masks indoors for K-12 schools to protect
against the spread of the coronavirus, and to
prevent disruptions to in-person instruction.
Brown directed the Oregon Health Authority
and state Department of Education to create a rule
requiring masks indoors statewide, an announce-
ment that prompted Central Oregon school dis-
tricts to pause plans for the 2021- 22 school year.
cows and horses.
One unfamiliar sight, however, soared overhead.
Parrots.
The birds, majestic and brilliantly hued, flew in
wide circles above funnel cake carts, sellers in booths
slinging wares and wide-eyed fairgoers.
See Parrots / A6
Curious parrots watch Biro as he hosts The Pirate’s Parrot Show.
See Masks / A4
Heat wave returns to Central Oregon About half of seniors on
A month after a historic
heat wave hit Central Oregon,
the region is facing another
scorcher this week.
Temperatures won’t reach
record-breaking levels like
last month, but the National
Weather Service office in
Pendleton issued a heat advi-
sory 11 a.m. Thursday through
8 p.m. Saturday.
“Central Oregon won’t see
too much in terms of triple
digits,” said Cole Evans, meteo-
rologist at the weather service.
TODAY’S
WEATHER
“We are expecting more of that
in the lower basin in Oregon
and Washington.”
Parts of Eastern Oregon and
Washington could see the ther-
mometer reach 108 degrees
Friday.
Gov. Kate Brown declared a
state of emergency Thursday
for 23 counties, not including
Central Oregon, due to the
heat.
The heat wave will be short-
lived and end Saturday night
with the arrival of rainfall, Ev-
ans said.
See Heat wave / A4
Patchy clouds
High 95, Low 67
Page B5
INDEX
INSIDE
Bulletin file
The sun rises into a hazy orange sky near Lava
Butte in 2008. A heat wave is descending on
Central and Eastern Oregon this week.
Business
Classifieds
Comics
A7-8
B6
B7-8
Dear Abby
A6
Editorial
A5
Explore B1-2, 9-10
Horoscope
Local/State
Obituaries
A6
A2-3
A8
• Oregon
OSHA
says
it will
‘aggres-
sively
enforce’
rules
to pro-
tect
workers
from
extreme
heat,
A7
Puzzles
Sports
B8
B3-5
Medicare could qualify
for fans, air conditioners
BY BETSY HAMMOND
The Oregonian
A new provision of federal
law means fans, air conditioners
and air filters can be covered by
insurance for people on Medi-
care Advantage plans, which
currently cover about half of
Oregon seniors, U.S. Sen. Ron
Wyden said Wednesday.
He urged insurance com-
panies including Kaiser,
The Bulletin
An Independent Newspaper
We use
recycled
newsprint
Vol. 117, No. 329, 18 pages, 2 sections
Samaritan and Regence Blue-
Cross BlueShield to cover the
costs of those devices, which
are not primarily medical but
serve to keep seniors healthy
and alive during periods of
high heat. Under the rule,
Medicare insurers are allowed
but not required to cover air
cooling and purifying ma-
chines.
See Seniors / A6
DAILY
BY KYLE SPURR
The Bulletin
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